I have been browsing some of the earlier threads and feel somewhat relieved to see I am not alone.

I started having heart flutters about 18 months ago. I've seen a cardiologist, had several checks and heart itself is fine. I also started feeling muscle twitching everywhere around about the same time. It is particularly bad after exercise - twitching everywhere.

When the twitching is at it's worst the heart flutters are bad too. Must be a connection although my doc doesn't agree.

Had hormones checked end of last year which showed low oestrogen and the endocrinologist suggested taking the combined pill for 3 months to see if it improved symptoms.

Hi Sapper...
Yes the heart flutters are very scary, and it still doesn't help when you know they are benign as they are still felt, and that twitching is soo annoying. One thing I find that really helped was magnesium. It is important to take it with calcium at a 2:1 ratio. Calcium being the higher one. I also took co-enzyme Q10 and hawthorne berry which is known as natures beta blocker. I only used it for 8 weeks and now the only time I notice a palpatation or flutter is the week before my period. I used to have them all day, every day. If you read the post under this you will see there is definetly a twitchers club going on here.....Lesley

When I did have the palps and flutters I seemed to have them 24/7. At times it would feel like a flutter, other times a flip flop feeling and even the odd thud that would stop me in my tracks. I know other women comment on how they notice it when they try to relax. I am sure when the board is busier someone will have a comment on the changing of positions. You have to keep reassuring yourself about them being benign, you are probably so very aware of your heart right now as it is disturbing but I did find with time and my supplements I am not focused anymore on it....and I did not think that day would ever come. Take care and try to relax....Lesley

I have that with my heart and had it checked out with cardiac stress test ect.. Turned out it was panic attacks with anxiety. Sometimes I will feel my pulse and start counting taking deep breaths to help me.

Hi
I have had iregular heart beats for years and have learned to live with them..had the 24 hr monitor and all is fine. They are very scary. my heart rate has always been a little fsat thats what caused mine.as long as they dont make you feel ill ot faint or breathless
Di

hey Jac, haven't seen u in while, how r u? flutters? they feel like somethiing is fluttering in your chest around your heart, they are part of the palpitation syndrome, lol which we all hate. last year, remember, I had that heart palpitation and hot flashes seemed like 24/7! How r u feeling? R u better with the anxiety now?

I have been bothered by twitching since my first indication of peri, which basically was a missed period last summer. The twitching of course sent my anxiety level really high. I was twitching everywhere, and even feeling vibrations and lots of movement under my skin. I saw a neurologist and after about 15 minutes of looking at my coordination, reflexes, and stength, he said it was probably just anxiety and would go away. Well, 8 months later, I was still twitching. I did not even connect it to possible magnesium deficiency/inbalance or hormones until I started reading these boards and doing some other research on twitching. I immediately switched my Calcium supplement for a calcium + magnesium supplement and had immediate improvement. Taking just calcium without magnesium can make the problem even worse as it creates an even greater imbalance. The first day, I just stopped taking the calcium all together and things started to improve. The magnesium addition has improved things further. It's only been about two weeks and the twitching has become real minor now, not nearly as bothersome. I have also learned that hormones also reek havoc on your neurotransmitters, and can also cause the muscle twitching, which should eventually stop when your hormones eventually become more stable.

If you have never taken magnesium before, it can cause some diarreah until your body adjusts. I have started slow, first taking a supplement containing 133 mg each, one in the morning and one at night. If I was having problems with this, I would just take one the next day and then try again. Your body should adjust. Now I am taking three 133 mg tablets per day, for a total of 400 mg, plus there is another 100 mg in my multivitamin, and I am able to do this now without any bowel upset. Just work up to it slowly.

Twitching has defintely one of the most nerve racking symptoms you can experience.

Thanks for the suggestions. I did try magnesium at first (6mos ago) and since I had diarreah with it , I stopped. (I also lost too much wt at the start of this). Anyway, I will try to work up to it as you suggested. Have you done anything else ...HRT etc. I started Estrodiol 2 weeks ago and I swear its making me sick to my stomach and depressed...Is that possible? I am so sick of being sick...about at the end of my rope. Anyway, thanks, JBP

Hi JBP,
It's sad to say that everything I have learned that makes any sense, I have learned from the internet and these boards - the magnesium, the connection to peri, etc. With everything going on, I have seen a neurologist, cardiologist, and rheumatologist in the past months to try and figure out what is going on with me, and not one has made any connection with peri. I have even asked my GP twice whether several of my symptoms could be related to hormones as they started at the exact same time as peri. He just responds "possible". So far, any testing I have been through has come back negative, so maybe I can feel good about that and the fact that my GP is checking.

Right now I am doing the combined calcium/magnesium, three times a day for a total dosage of 400 mg mag and 1000 mg calcium (or less if I have bowel issues, but those are definitely on the decline) and I just started taking Estroven to see if that would perhaps help a bit more - so far I don't feel it really adding anything, but it's only been about a week and I should probably give it a month before I judge. I take the Estroven in the morning and a multivitamin in the evening. It 's really only been a couple of weeks since I started all this. Since I just started making the connection to peri, I haven't even seen my OBGYN yet. I have another appointment with my GP this week and want to talk to him about the connection of all this to peri. Then I think a trip to my OBGYN is in my near future - hopefully she will have dealt with women who have experienced some of these unusual symptoms. I don't have any of the "normal" symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, and never thought I'd say this, but I think I woud rather have those....! My anxiety level is also really high, so I will take xanax as needed, and lately, I have decided that I need it often - can't deal with the anxiety and all this other stuff at the same time.

The worst part is really just not feeling like yourself. Some day it's hard for me to get myself to do anything as I am so preoccupied with what my body is feeling. I am doing my best to try and keep my spirits up, but can certainly understand at this point how not feeling physically well affects your mental state.

I am wondering, since HRT is currently known not to be a great solution, what else might be out there to help stablize hormone levels and then maybe alleviate some of these symptoms. I can't imagine going through this for years to come.

LT,
We sound so much alike. I too have seen lots of doctors who don't want to go with the hormone theory. I have tried lots of antidepressants that didn't work. I am worried now that I am addicted to these boards..its all I do. I am not working and any hobbies that I used to enjoy, I just can't get into anymore. I think I am sinking back into a depression, probably because I have been sick for so long. I have been on natural estodial for 2 weeks now, and i'm worried that it may be making me more depressed, plus be giving me headaches... I took Protonix for acid reflux the last 3 days and that made me sick to my stomach. The doctors are so fast to throw in medication, but they don't have to deal with the side effects in our bodies. I'm sooo tired of this. I have an appt with the gyno tues. so maybe he can help by adjusting the hormones or something....I don't know what to try next...Sorry you're having to deal with this too.
JBP

Glad you are seeing your OBGYN this week.....hopefully he will confirm a connection for you and suggest something helpful. I am hoping that there is something out there to help. And if not, I may need a good psychiatrist...... Let me know how it goes with the doc.

In the meantime, just hang in there. We have to get through one day at a time and believe that this will all pass one day (and boy, do I hope that day is not too far away!)

What is the pattern of your last few periods like? The last regular one I had was early last July, then nothing until end of September, and that one lasted for several weeks and felt more like two periods running together, then another in late November, and then I didn't have another until late March. I am hoping that last four month gap means that maybe this will go faster! I actually don't think about the missed periods very much - that part is okay with me, and I am actually to the point where I really just want them to stop in hopes that my hormones can then even themselves out. Considering what's going on, I doubt I'll get that lucky.

Just got back from a doctor that thinks I have been exposed to some toxins that are making me sick...For only 450.00 he can put my info into a computer and give me a book that tells me all about what is going on in my body.Then he will sit down with me for 2 hours and tell me what foods I need to be eating. I am so depressed ....NOone can just tell me what to do to make myself feel better. I didn't sleep last night even with an Ativan...not a good sign. My periods are still pretty regular, so I think that means I'm not even close to being done....I'm only 45, I have no energy for my kids or my husband...I just want to crawl in a hole. I still have my gyno appt tomorrow, so we'll see what his insight will be...I'm not too hopeful.
Thanks for writing.
JBP